Deep in the dungeon
by sweetsimplegirl
Summary: The gang goes back to 1522 a month after Daisy's coronation to pay their friend a visit. But as the two pairs of couples are busy in their own little fairy tales, Shelby decides to visit the castle to pass the time. She somehow ends up in the least inviting place by accident. But why does she keep going back there? Find out in Deep in the dungeon. I own nothing!
1. Welcome to the dungeon

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, lived a young queen named Daisy.

Let's be more precise now, shall we? The year was 1522, exactly a month after Daisy's coronation. It was then that her time travelling friends from the future, Barry, Naldo, Cyd and Shelby, decided to pay her a visit.

Indeed for the first time since her coronation, the gang from 2016 was heading back to the year 1522. Barry hadn't seen his love ever since and he was missing her like crazy, a fact of which his friends were very aware.

It was great for the gang to be all in the same room once again. They had planned to stay for an entire week. But soon enough, Daisy and Barry were off who knows where and so were Cyd and Naldo who were now officially a couple.

Though she ended up alone in a castle five hundred years in the past, Shelby didn't mind…too much. She was happy for her friends and completely understood they needed time alone together. She then decided to visit the castle but it being so enormous and her being Shelby, she found herself getting kind of…lost.

She saw a guard and wanted to ask her way but the poor man was sleeping so soundly that she couldn't bring herself to wake him up. She took the stairs next to him hoping she was heading for the lobby.

Descending the stairs, she quickly realized her mistake. Nothing felt familiar. The rest of the castle being so cozy and welcoming, she was surprised at how cold and frightening this place seemed to be.

As her foot hit the ground at the bottom of the stairs she felt something grab her wrist and pull her forward. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she struggled to get free from the hand holding her. That hand belonged to a man who was fortunately standing behind steel bars.

The man was much older than her with dark intense eyes with a shade of evil. His rotten appearance betrayed how long he might have been there. Showing equally mistreated teeth, the man smiled at her while looking her up and down.

"Hello beautiful creature." He then said in a rusty voice. That only increased Shelby's will to get her arm free from his grip. With all her strength, she forcefully moved her arm so that his own would hit the hard bars of what she assumed to be his cell. Her tactic worked as he lost his grip on her.

Quickly backing away, her back hit cold steel and she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Turning her head she saw a boy about her age in another cell looking as bad as the other man. She struggled to get free as he whispered obscenities in her ear. Feeling his hand moving up her belly, she hit him in the stomach with her elbow.

Once he let go, she started running as far away as possible from them. She didn't even think about running back up the stairs as her feet seemed to have a mind of their own. Turning a corner, she stopped to catch her breath.

"What is this place?" she wondered aloud.

"Welcome to the dungeon!" She heard a voice respond behind her.

She froze for a moment. She knew that voice…she almost married that voice. And sure enough as she slowly turned around, there he was. Casually lining against the bars as if he owned the place was standing Sebastian, the only person Shelby had ever truly hated.

"Sebastian!" Shelby said with surprise.

"Fancy seeing you here Shelby." he replied with sarcasm not losing his pose. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Shelby tried to regain her composure as fast as she could. If there was something she couldn't bear, it was losing her pride in front of that Gaston wannabe. "Can't a girl come visit her ex-fiancé in the dungeon?" She replied crossing her arms with the same attitude she always had used every time she had confronted him.

"How nice of you" he said through gritted teeth as he walked closer towards her with a cold stare.

"I know…it's something you could learn from!" she told him, feeling much more powerful than before in front of him as he was now contained.

"You're lost, aren't you?" he said cracking a smile.

"Maybe!" Shelby replied not losing her attitude.

"Well…" he said nodding in the opposite direction as she came from. "Exit's that way!" he looked back at her with something in his eyes she couldn't quite identify.

Was that sadness? Or maybe anger? Both? She wasn't sure but as she looked in the direction Sebastian pointed her too, she couldn't move her feet. Oh, she wanted to get out of there, as quickly as she could but as much as tried to, she couldn't move.

Sebastian had kept her physically captive already. How was it possible that even if he was behind metal bars and she was free, he still had some sort of power over her?

"Well…aren't you going to get back to your friends?" he said bitterly putting emphasis on the word friends.

"Oh don't worry, I'm getting out of here!" she said still not moving. As if seeing him for the first time that day, Shelby wondered how it was possible for him to still look perfectly intact compared to the other prisoners. Oh, he was handsome, she wasn't about to deny that but after being here for a month, she'd have thought he would have been messier than this.

"Farewell then." He said with that same look, the one that had restrained her feet from moving.

She dusted off her dress before thinking about stepping towards the exit. Her beautiful white dress was tarnished at the waist due to the dirty arm that had surrounded it. One of her long dangling sleeves had been ripped where the first man had forcefully grabbed her.

Shelby's gesture had caught Sebastian's attention. Nodding at her dress, he couldn't help but ask what had happened.

"What's that all about? Can't your queen friend buy you a better dress?" he replied with bitterness.

"First of all, I don't expect anything out of my friend's position and secondly, my dress would have been fine if your dungeon companions hadn't gotten so excited at seeing a woman after such a long time." She replied looking at him right in the eyes.

"I don't understand why." He said with a mocking laugh. "There's nothing exciting about you!"

Shelby's face fell. As much as she didn't care about what that villain thought, his comment really hurt. Regaining her composure, she replied to him.

"In that case, life would have been pretty dull if you had married me!" she said secretly hoping he would take that back.

Looking at her for a while, Sebastian cracked a smile.

"Well, maybe I find you more exciting than I let on." Then nodding at the dress, he continued. "If that had been me I would have ripped that dress right off of you!"

Even though he had taking his insult back, Shelby felt he had gone too far. Her first reaction was to slap that grin right off his face. But as she was merely centimeters from his cheek, he grabbed her wrist before her hand collided with it.

She then realized what she had done. She had felt safe up to this point and even powerful as he was standing behind those bars. But she had passed her hand on the other side as a reflex. Now that he had a grip on her, he was still as scary as she had always known him to be.

He smiled even more as he tightened his hold on her. The look of horror that filled Shelby's face encouraged him to release his tight grip a bit. She immediately tried to retrieve her arm by sliding it from between his grasp but once her hand was in his he closed the gap once again.

"Please give me back my hand!" said Shelby with what she hoped to be a non-shaking voice.

"And why would I do that?" he asked looking straight in her light blue eyes. "If I let go, you'll run away and I'll be stuck here once again all by myself. And honestly, I could use the company!"

Shelby was taking back by that. Was he actually being sincere? Thinking fast, she came up with an idea to please both of them.

"If you let go, I promise to bring you desert tonight! You do have quite the sweet tooth if I remember correctly!" she said proud of her memory.

"Why should I believe you?" he asked stroking his thumb on the back of her hand.

The movement sent shivers down Shelby's spine but she wasn't about to let him notice.

"Because I promised! And I always keep my promises!" she assured him.

Looking at her hand intently, he quickly slipped her ring off her finger before letting go.

"Hey, my ring!" she screamed upsettingly.

"You'll get it back!" he stated. "After, you bring me desert!"

Shelby knew his word meant nothing. He himself had admitted that lying was one of the things he was very good at. But either way he had her ring. It was worth the try.

"Fine!" she said. "See you after diner then!"

"Very well!" he replied with proudness. "Go that way." He said nodding to his left. "You won't have to pass in front of anyone else and there usually aren't any guards."

Surprised of this thoughtful recommendation, Shelby followed his advice.

Looking at her ascending the stairs, Sebastian tried to remind himself that he despised her. Even so, she was the first human contact he had had in over a month aside from the guards bringing him food from time to time. And he desperately wanted her to come back.


	2. The deal has changed

Shelby arrived at the top of the stairs and opened a door leading to a part of the castle she had not visited yet. Once she closed the door, she noticed it was actually a secret passage since the door was a continuation of the wall. Just beside it was a window with a beautiful view of the castle gardens. She was at the end of a hallway where no one seemed to go. Passing in front of a nice looking bedroom she saw another flight of stairs which was the only way to go.

At the bottom of the stairs she realized she had reached the castle kitchen where some workers had already started making dinner. Greeting the staff, she made her way out and entered the dining room where her friends were seated.

"There you are Shelby!" exclaimed the queen.

"Yeah, we've been looking everywhere for you!" said Cyd casually holding her boyfriend's hand. Shelby tried to restrain her smile at this sight. Those two were perfect for each other and so were Barry and Daisy. A strange thought then floated through her mind. While her friends were all having a romantic adventure today, all she had was a deal made with her worst enemy.

"Sorry, I got lost visiting the castle!" she apologized. "But I saw the cutest room above the kitchen…could I maybe sleep there?"

The question had left her mouth before she could even process it. Why in the world did she want this room? As much as she was telling herself that it was because it looked charming and had a nice view, she knew the secret passage to the dungeon had something to do with it.

"Oh, of course! No one ever sleeps there, it will be a good thing to have it being put to use." Said Daisy with her usual kindness.

"What happened to your dress?" wondered worryingly Barry followed closely by looks of concern from her other friends.

"Oh you know me, I tripped and fell down but don't worry I'm okay!" she replied nonchalantly trying her best to make it seem believable.

Once the meal was over, her highness suggested they should go horseback riding. Shelby told them to go and that she would go see the gardens instead. Once she convinced them to let her go on her own, she grabbed the rest of the dessert laying on the table and made her way to the dungeon. After all, she had a ring to retrieve.

…

Sebastian walked back and forth for what seemed to be an eternity as he wondered if Shelby would actually keep her end of the bargain. After all, his only hope relied on a simple ring. One that didn't seem neither expensive nor meaningful. As he finally started to accept that he would never see her again, the resounding noise of feminine shoes reached his ears. Soon enough, Shelby entered his vision and he had to repress the smile threatening to appear.

"Ah finally!" he greeted extending his hands as he waited for the dessert.

Shelby stayed where she was and simply extended her hand in return.

"My ring first!" she said looking straight in his eyes which he instantly narrowed.

"My dessert first!" He said forcefully never loosing eye contact.

…

A few minutes had passed and neither one of them seemed to be ready to give in. Sebastian had resumed to pace quietly in his cell as he twirled Shelby's ring on the tip of his finger, tempting her.

So that's how he wanted to play…well it takes two to tango.

Shelby took her finger and swiped a huge amount of frosting with it. That caught Sebastian's attention who stopped pacing and came closer to her. He watched as she brought her finger to her lips to lick it with an exaggerated sound of delight. Instead of his eyes falling on the cake in her hand, Shelby was surprised to see that his sight fell directly on her lips.

She immediately felt a shiver go through her again like every time he seemed to be near her. As she started to feel really uncomfortable, she quickly gave the cake up to him.

"There you go, now I would like my ring back please." She firmly said avoiding looking him in the eyes.

Sebastian felt snapped out of a trance but recovered in an instant taking the dessert from her.

"It was about time!" he said in his usual condescending voice.

It was enough for Shelby to recover her stubborn attitude.

"Now I'd like my ring please." She said not asking at all.

"How long are you staying here exactly?" he asked already devouring the piece of cake.

"A week... My ring NOW!" said Shelby getting impatient with every passing second.

Sebastian reached out to drop her ring in her waiting hand but took it back at last moment.

"Hey!" yelled Shelby.

"You'll get it back" he assured her, "IF you bring me dessert every day for the rest of the week."

"No no no no! That was not the deal! I just had to bring you dessert TONIGHT!" said an infuriated Shelby while scolding herself for trusting his word.

"Well, the deal has changed." He said with a smirk.

"You know what…keep my ring…It's not worth it!" she said turning around ready to storm off.

"Wait!" screamed Sebastian panicking.

Shelby looking back at him raising her eyebrow. She hadn't missed the panic in his voice.

"Umm "he began while clearing his voice. "Look I do not get a lot of good stuff around here. I swear I will give your ring back but I have to keep it in the meantime to make sure you will come back…to bring me more dessert." said Sebastian trying to regain his composure.

Shelby calmed down a bit as she sighed deeply. Looking straight in his eyes she was again surprised to find sincerity there as much as he was trying to hide it.

"Alright." she simply answered before storming out.

Once she was out of his sight, Sebastian let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. Why was his heart beating so fast with apprehension earlier when he thought she really wouldn't come back? He knew he was getting lonely but that was just ridiculous… no it was just about the dessert of course…and good knight was this cake delicious!

 **I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read my story and especially the ones who reviewed.**

 **TayCole: Since I love your story so much, I was very pleased that you read and reviewed mine. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Guest: Thank you for the nice compliment on my story. You gave me the encouragement to continue even though I had a terrible writer's block. Hope you liked Chapter 2 as much!**


	3. You have your cake

Shelby was still fuming. How could she even imagine for a minute that this snake would keep his word? She didn't know if she should be more frustrated with him or with her own self right now. After all something like that could easily be expected from him but why was she not standing her ground and forgetting about that stupid ring?

She breathed soundly sitting on her bed as she looked outside at the morning sky. Deep down she knew it wasn't about her ring anymore nor was it about his annoying cravings for sweets. She noticed how desperate he seemed to be of human contact and even though she despised him with all her might and no matter what he did to her and her friends, she felt like it would be inhuman to just let him rot down there alone.

"Shelby, you idiot…why should you even care?" she whispered with gritted teeth.

This was stupid. Her sensitive side was imagining things again. A monster like him didn't need any human contact. His only apparent need was sugar. She would indeed bring him cake again but that was it. No more talking with an evil mastermind. The damage he could do to her brain if she gave him the chance! He was already pulling the strings for her to be his servant. Well, she said she would bring him his dessert everyday but he would have to wait at the very end of it.

…

Sebastian clinched his fists for what seemed to be the hundred time this evening. He knew it, she gave up her ring and she would never come back down there. Why would she anyway? After all the things he did to her and her friends. He want as far as trying to force her and Daisy to marry him. He couldn't help but wonder how it would have turned out if his plans had succeeded. Especially if he had ended up marrying Shelby. She was a stubborn little blonde tornado. She was…interesting to say the least. He always felt an inexplicable rush shooting through his veins every time she was confronting him. He had never met any maiden like her before…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by thumping of feet. He looked up to see Shelby descending the stairs and coming towards him.

"Ah, there you are!" he only had time to say before she quickly slid the plate below the bars of the locked door and turned around.

"Hey!" he called after her.

She turned around crossing her arms looking as unfriendly as she possibly could.

"What?" she asked with an even voice.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Sebastian asked trying to act like he didn't mind much. He was just curious of course.

"Why do you care?" she asked back before nodding towards the plate he still hadn't picked up. "You have your cake."

With nothing more being said she walked up the stairs. Sebastian looked down at the cake standing on the floor. It didn't look so good anymore.

…

The next day as the gang was enjoying another horse ride Cyd noticed how Shelby seemed distracted.

"Are you okay Shelbs?" she asked her friend once they were alone behind the group. She had told Naldo she needed to talk to her bestie and he had told her it would be a good idea. Cyd thought that if even Naldo noticed something was wrong with Shelby, it must be pretty obvious. Not that her boyfriend wasn't smart but he could sometimes be pretty naïve. Then again she wouldn't love him so much if he wasn't.

With a smile due to her last thought, she turned to her friend waiting for her answer.

"Um? Oh yeah, of course I'm okay…why wouldn't I be?" the blonde said trying to look convincing.

"Well, it's just…you haven't been around the rest of us much lately…you keep disappearing…and you seem really tense for some reason." The brunette said explaining her concerns.

"I'm fine Cyd, I'm just little tired that's all." She assured her with a small smile.

"Okay, if you say so." answered Cyd not pretty convinced.

 **This chapter was really short but another is gonna come soon.**

 **Lisa: Thank you, you are very encouraging. It's true that there are not enough stories about them.**

 **TayCole: Thank you, even though he wants everyone to think his heart is made of stone, he is still human and we will get to see his human side more as the story progresses.**


	4. That does not look like a dessert

**Lisa: Thank you for your kind review. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on the story!**

 **TayCole: Thanks for taking the time to read my story even with your busy schedule. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the progression of their view on each other.**

Like the last two nights, Shelby had to come up with yet another excuse so she could sneak off to the dungeon armed of a delicious piece of pie.

As she started to walk down the stairs she heard Sebastian talking to someone. Intrigued she stopped to listen.

"It's been four days now!" forcefully declared Sebastian.

"I know how long it's been…after all I am the one who is in charge of bringing you food."

"Then why are you not?" replied the former knight getting angrier by the minute.

"Unlike you, I have no intention of shaming father. It is he who arranged for me to obtain this work as the dungeon guard to make sure you would pay for your incompetence." Replied the other man.

"Andrew…you are my brother. Are you really going to starve me to death?" asked Sebastian trying to soften his voice.

Andrew approached the bars to look his brother right in the eyes.

"Food is a privilege not a right. A failure like you doesn't deserve any." He replied with the cruelest Cheshire cat smile he could master.

With that he headed towards the other exit. Shelby stayed where she was to make sure he was gone. She also had to recover from her shock. Sebastian's own father and brother wanted him to starve to death. Where was his mother and why wasn't she doing anything for her son?

He said it had been four days since he had eaten last. With that realization, she looked down at the pie in her hands thinking it wouldn't do. That man needed some meat. He would just be sick if he kept eating dessert as a meal.

She quickly made her way back up the stairs and put the pie down on the desk in her room before heading for the kitchen.

"Excuse me." she politely said getting the attention of the female workers. "Is it possible to have another plate of the delicious meal we ate tonight, please?"

They all looked at each other with surprise. They were getting used to the abnormally huge appetite of the queen's dark headed friend but the blonde seemed to eat as light as a bird apart from the extra piece of dessert she always seemed to bring with her. But there she was asking for another portion of the very heavy meal they had prepared that night.

"Yes, of course." replied the woman who seemed to be in charge. "It will not take long to warm it once more and we shall bring the plate to your room milady."

"Why thank you." said the satisfied blonde before heading toward her room.

…

Shelby was still deep in thought after her new discovery on Sebastian's situation. Was he that cruel because of the way he was raised? From what she could see, he probably was the nice one of his family. How could his own brother look him in the eye and straight out tell him that he deserved to starve to death? And to think his father was behind all this.

A soft knock disturbed Shelby's train of thoughts.

"Come in!" she said looking as a servant entered with a plate of steak and mashed potatoes covered with fuming gravy.

"Here Milady. Just as you requested." Said the woman before putting down the plate.

"Thank you. That would be all." Answered Shelby remembering the lessons Daisy gave the gang on how to act as her guests in her time.

The lady curtsied before leaving closing the door in the process.

Shelby put an ear against the door and waited until she was sure the servant was at the bottom of the stairs. She then proceed to bring the food to the starving man below.

…

Sebastian kept kicking the bars with all his might. He didn't care that it was causing more damage to his toes than to the metal. He needed to get his frustrations out somehow. He shouldn't be surprised at his father's and brother's attitudes. It was to be expected from those two merciless men. He had still hoped that deep down they would somehow…not care about him of course but at least leave him alone. But no, they had to bring his pitiful situation to the next level.

He then thought about how Shelby hadn't come that night and that it was getting way too late to even hope to see her appear. She had obviously made up her mind and wouldn't bring him anything anymore. Not that he blamed her. He wouldn't want to deal with bringing food to a condemned man if he was in her shoes.

With that in mind he started hitting the wall with his fist. Kicking wasn't enough to release his anger anymore.

…

Shelby managed to balance the plates in her hands without being her clumsy self. Arriving at the bottom, she hide one of the plates behind her back and looked up. She was met with an awful sight. Sebastian was red with anger and punching the wall, his hand already covered in blood.

"Stop it!" Shelby yelled catching his attention. As he looked at her with surprise, she noticed his wet eyes. Angry tears were threatening to fall from those blue orbs.

"Shelby? You…you came back." He said more like a question than a statement.

"Yes I did. Here!" she said passing the plate with the steak under the door.

The distraught boy looked down at the food in front of him.

"That does not look like a dessert." He said stating the obvious.

Shelby had a sly smile before showing him the plate that was still hidden behind her back.

"Here's your dessert." She said softly before putting it next to the other plate.

Sebastian didn't know what to think. This was exactly what he needed but he didn't want to look desperate. Although, his grumbling stomach betrayed how much he was hungry so without further ado he picked up the first plate. He looked once more at the girl before him not knowing what to say. So he said nothing and started eating the wonderful meal.

Shelby felt a warm sensation in her gut. She wasn't expecting a thank you out of him. After all, a man raised by an evil father couldn't have learned the magic words please and thank you. But the way he looked at her before he started eating said it all. He was grateful at her beyond words. Giggling inwardly, she also thought that he was confused beyond words. He probably wondered why she was bringing him an entire meal. He had no idea that she was aware he wasn't getting any food because of his brother.

"This is delicious." He simply said without looking up.

Shelby smiled a bit. She guessed this was his way of saying thank you.

"Well enjoy." She said before turning around to head back to her room.

It was only then that the handsome boy looked up to watch her ascend the stairs. What was that weird feeling in his chest? Probably a reaction from his body after receiving food for the first time in days.


	5. This is not normal

**TayCole: Thank you so much for your comment. Sebastian's family situation will be further explained and will play a huge part in the course of the story. I hope you'll like the development.**

 **Lisa: Thanks so much, I truly enjoy reading your comments. A bump in the road? Well, I guess you'll see! ;)**

 **Samantha: Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate it. Yes, Sebastian truly is an interesting character. We will see the others from time to time but I really wanna focus mostly on Shelby and Sebastian and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming!**

Sebastian had just woken up from his spot on the cold floor. Raising himself up using his hands he winced at the pain shooting through his right one. Looking at his colored hand he remembered his outburst from the night before. Dried blood was covering the now blue and purple flesh of his injured knuckles. He sighed loudly and took a sitting position with his back against the wall. Looking to his left, he saw Shelby's delicate ring. Picking it up with his good hand, he took the time to admire it.

That ring suited the blonde perfectly. Small, delicate, beautiful but at the same time very pointy. You could easily get scratched if you were not careful with it. With that last reflection, Sebastian smiled a little. She indeed had quite the character when she wanted. Maybe that made her all the more interesting.

…

Waking up to the sound of birds chirping always put Shelby in a good mood. Looking outside she was overwhelmed with a feeling of satisfaction. Ever since the previous night when she had seen gratitude in Sebastian's eyes, she had felt really happy. Helping someone in need brought an explicable feeling inside of her even if that someone happened to be a bad guy.

But was he that bad? Could he had been pushed by his family to act the way he did? Shelby had to scold herself for even trying to excuse him. What was happening to her? After all, this was the man who had tried to force Daisy and her into marrying him.

She suddenly wondered what would have happened if he had succeeded. Would he have been a cruel and devious husband? Or would he have threated her right as his wife? All he ever wanted was the crown, he probably wouldn't have harmed her for no reason. She needed to stop thinking of such things. Sebastian had taking place in too much of her thoughts lately.

She rose from her bed and headed towards the kitchen knowing that a servant would make her bed for her. She could get used to living like this.

Passing by the workers, she greeted them before joining her friends in the dining room for breakfast.

"Hello Shelby. How did you sleep?" asked Daisy greeting her friend seeing as they were the first ones to arrive.

"Very well actually. The bed in my room is absolutely amazing!" she complimented sincerely.

"Well, I'm glad. I hope you're enjoying your stay here." wondered the concerned brunette.

"Um, yes of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" asked Shelby confused.

"You just seem distant from the rest of us, that's all." explained Daisy.

"I'm ok D. I'm just a little tired that's all." assured the blonde.

"Alright if you say so!" said the queen before greeting the rest of the gang who had just entered.

After she had finished her meal she excused herself and headed for the kitchen ready to ask for another plate.

Once her request had been made, she turned around only to come face to face with her best friend.

"We should talk!" said Cyd leaving no place for negotiation.

…

Once they were seated in Shelby's room, Cyd looked at her waiting for an explanation for her strange behavior.

"What?" asked Shelby impatient as she waited for Sebastian's plate to be brought to her.

"You know what Shelby!" said Cyd. "All of us are worried about you. Today is our fourth day here and we barely saw you. You always disappear for no reason with food, you claim you're really tired and when we do see you, you always seem to be lost in thoughts."

"I'm just hungry and tired…is that a crime?" asked Shelby not really knowing how to get out of this situation.

"Shelby, could you be…I mean are you…" stuttered Cyd.

"Am I what?" replied Shelby confused.

Before Cyd could answer, a servant entered the room and put down the plate on Shelby's desk like she had done the previous night. Once she was out the door, Cyd got up and pointed toward the plate.

"See…this is not normal" said Cyd lost. "Maybe if it was me it wouldn't be as surprising but this is you we're talking about. You always ate so lightly but here it seems like you're eating for two!"

With that last sentence, Shelby's eyes widened. She was scared that Cyd had found out what she had been up too. But her friend perceived her reaction as a confirmation of her suspicions.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed letting her arms fall at her sides.

"Knew what? Said Shelby unsure.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" inquired Cyd.

Shelby's shock to that unexpected accusation came out instantly. She started laughing out loud. Unfortunately, her best friend only saw that as Shelby's nerves trying to cover up the truth.

"What?" said Shelby once she had calmed down. "Cyd, you know better than anyone that it would be absolutely impossible for me to be pregnant."

"I'm not so sure about that." Replied Cyd with all the serious in the world.

"You think I would not have told you if I had had my first time?" started Shelby not laughing anymore as she realized her friend was seriously accusing her of such a thing. "And you know far too well that I don't have a boyfriend…what, you think I would have slept with some random guy?"

"Not willingly no!" replied Cyd.

Shelby's eyebrows raised at that last sentence.

"Hold on…you think some guy forced himself on me? Cyd this is simply ridiculous. Could you tell me when that would have possibly happened?" continued the blonde started to get annoyed with all this nonsense.

"Maybe over a month ago when you were stuck alone with a maniac in Daisy's tower!" replied Cyd accusingly.

It was Shelby's turn to stand up from the bed.

"What?" she yelled. "You think Sebastian would have done that to me?"

"I don't see why not!" shrugged Cyd. "It wouldn't be surprising knowing what kind of man he is!"

"Don't pretend like you know him, okay? He wouldn't have done that…in fact he did not!" angrily said Shelby. "He never laid a finger on me…not once! How can you even think that?"

"Maybe the fact that you're so defensive about it!" replied Cyd.

Shelby let her tense shoulders fall down.

"You know what, I don't even care if you believe me or not. Just get out of my room!" said Shelby seeing as there was no way to persuade Cyd.

Cyd was shocked that Shelby would throw her out like that. Something was definitely wrong with her best friend.

Cyd turned to leave but stopped and looked at Shelby one more time.

"I just wanted to help you." She said softly before leaving.

Shelby sighed while closing her eyes. She knew she had been harsh with Cyd but she also knew that when that girl believed something it was almost impossible to change her mind. What a mess! How did what was supposed to be a nice little vacation with her best friends turned into this?

It was all because of him! As much as Shelby wanted to be frustrated at Sebastian to the point of forgetting about him and simply enjoying her week, she knew she could never bring herself to do that. So she picked up the plate and made her way to him.


	6. What had just happened?

**Taylor: Thank you for your great review. I hope you enjoy where I'm heading with this!**

 **Lisa: The plot thickens indeed. Thank you for always commenting!**

 **Sorry, it took me a while to update. I was really busy but I hope you still enjoy this chapter!**

Sebastian looked up from the ring as he heard her footsteps. He was getting used to the sound her delicate shoes made when walking down the stairs. He put her ring down on the floor next to him and got up using his uninjured hand. She entered his sight with another plate in her hands.

"Here's your breakfast." She said without any emotion sliding it beneath the door before turning to leave.

"You seem upset." Sebastian stated.

Shelby stopped and looked back at him wondering if that was his way of asking if she was okay.

"That's because I am." she answered shrugging.

"And why is that?" he asked trying to look detached.

"My friends are wondering why I keep disappearing all the time with food and they're making weird assumptions." she shrugged again. "None of your concern."

"In a way it is since I'm the reason you keep disappearing." He replied. "And not that I'm complaining but why are you bringing me meals? That wasn't part of our deal."

He had to ask. It was strange enough that she kept her end of the bargain but now she was bringing more than what was expected. Why was she?

"Think of it as a bonus." She said with a little smile before heading for the stairs.

Sebastian started picking up the plate from the floor but he unfortunately used his right hand without thinking. He winced at the pain and dropped to plate. It was only two inches from the floor but the sound caught Shelby's attention who looked over her shoulder.

"Your hand!" she exclaimed hurrying back to him.

"It's alright!" said Sebastian full of pride.

"No it's not. I had completely forgotten about it yesterday!" said Shelby ashamed. "I'm so sorry."

Sebastian looked at her with surprise.

"Why would you be sorry?" he asked confused. "I'm the one who did this."

"I know but I didn't do anything about it!" replied Shelby as if it was her duty.

"Don't move!" she said before shaking her head at the absurdity of her sentence. Where could he possibly go?

Sebastian raised his eyebrows thinking the same thing but didn't say anything. He knew she had the exact same thought.

"I mean I'll be right back!" said Shelby before sprinting up the stairs.

Sebastian was shocked. Why was she acting so nice towards him? Especially now that she got into trouble with her friends because of it. He would definitely never understand that woman.

…

Shelby didn't know what she was searching for. There was no first aid kit in 1522. She had to ask someone. Once she reached the kitchen she asked Sandrine, a really nice servant, where she could get some ointment and bandages.

While waiting for Sandrine to deliver those in her room, Shelby put some water in the chamber pot and soaked a cloth in it. When she received the items from Sandrine and dismissed her, she headed towards her patient. She arrived downstairs and approached him looking as professional as she could.

"Give me your hand." She ordered.

She seemed to have forgotten who she was talking too. Sebastian gave her a dark look indicating he did not like to be ordered around. Shelby sighed loudly to show her annoyance.

"Would you give me your hand please?" she asked on an exaggerated sweet tone batting her eyes to emphasize her character.

Sebastian complied giving her the slightest of smiles.

"And I thought you did not wish to marry me." He joked as she started to clean up the dried blood carefully with her wet cloth.

Shelby let out a little laugh as she continued to concentrate on her work.

"Yeah well, apparently you're going to be the father of my child so…" humored Shelby with a hint of irritation.

"Excuse me?" asked Sebastian with widened eyes.

"That's the crazy assumption Cyd is convinced of." She explained not looking up.

Why was she even talking to him? Especially about such an uncomfortable subject.

"Alright, you are going to have to explain from the beginning." He commanded clearly lost.

"Fair enough." She started not looking up even when she heard him wince when she touched a sensible spot. "She did sort of an equation in her head. Shelby + secretive + a lot of food + alone with you a month ago = pregnant."

The long silence that followed encouraged Shelby to look up at him. He had an indescribable look on his face, one that made him look scary once again. She froze with his hand still in her, fearing his reaction.

"She thinks I raped you?" he asked in a low hoarse voice.

"I know it's completely ridiculous and I told her so." The blonde replied with a nervous laugh focusing once more on his injured hand putting the ointment.

"How is it ridiculous?" he continued with the same voice.

"Well…I mean…you would have never done that. In fact you did not!" Shelby stated confidently as she looked at him.

Although, the look he bore at that moment was far from reassuring. Shelby quickly finished bandaging his hand before letting go as if it was on fire.

"I was going to make you my wife. What do you think I was going to do with you then?" he said looking in her eyes with his cold stare.

"You…" started Shelby uneasy and shocked at his words. "All you ever wanted was to be king. You wouldn't have hurt me…in anyway." She declared refusing to believe otherwise.

"You should not be so confident in your affirmations Shelby." He answered without breaking eye contact.

Shelby was shaking inwardly. Before her stood the cruel monster she had fought with over a month ago. Still something in his eyes begged her not to trust his words. Looking down she quickly grabbed the empty breakfast plate he had slid under the door earlier.

"I'll be back with your lunch at noon." She said softly still looking down before exiting the dungeon quickly. Once she was out and had closed the secret door behind her, she rested her back on it breathing rapidly. What had just happened?


	7. It is in my blood

Shelby tried to go on with her day acting normally. But it proved to be harder than she thought as Sebastian's cold stare kept reappearing in her mind. Nevertheless she refused to fully believe he would have done such a thing.

She had still asked Sandrine to put an extra tray of the lunch they were having in her room. She had told Sebastian she would bring him lunch and she was determined to keep her word unlike him.

In the meantime, she managed to catch Cyd in the castle gardens to apologize for her reaction from that morning.

"Hey Cyd!" she exclaimed catching up to her. "Waiting for Naldo?"

"Yes, we are going for a walk." Said Cyd with a sad smile. "Look Shelby I'm so sorry for upsetting you."

"What, no Cyd I'm sorry" replied Shelby surprised. "I know you were just worried about me and I was really harsh with you!"

"It's all behind us!" assured her best friend. "But please tell me if there is something wrong!"

"Nothing's wrong Cyd!" said Shelby half honestly. Something was wrong since that morning but she wasn't going to share that with Cyd. Her friend would never understand why she kept taking care of Sebastian. Shelby herself wasn't sure why she was.

"So, Sebastian never touched you?" asked Cyd just to be sure.

"No, he did not." Affirmed Shelby.

"Ok, good!" replied the brunette before displaying a giant smile at her arriving boyfriend.

"Hey baby, hey Shelbs." Greeted Naldo before receiving a kiss from his girlfriend.

"Hey Naldo." Said Shelby. "I'll leave you two to enjoy your walk now, I have something to take care of."

Once she was out of sight, Cyd turned to her boyfriend sharing her worries.

"She keeps telling me nothing is wrong but she's still so secretive…I really don't know what to think." Explained Cyd.

"I'm sure she's fine...you know everyone can have a secret garden even your best friend. And if something was wrong I'm sure she would tell you." Reassured the hat lover boy.

"Yeah, you're probably right!" answered the brunette.

…

The gang had yet to eat but Sandrine had brought a tray of food in Shelby's room at noon just as requested. With that in hand Shelby approached the secret door and stayed there for a while. She was still freaked out by Sebastian's reaction from that morning and she apprehended seeing him again.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and made her way downstairs. As she came close to his cell, she saw him lying on the floor his back to her. She put the tray under the door as usual when something caught her eye. It was her ring.

Why was her ring under the door? Why was he giving it back to her now?

"Hey beauty sleep!" Shelby yelled to catch his attention. "Lunch is here!"

He didn't move. He was ignoring her. And he was freeing her from their deal. What was going on?

"Sebastian!" she yelled once more. "I won't move from here until you talk to me!"

"Can you not take a hint?" he hoarsely replied without moving.

"Oh I can! But there's one thing you should know about me." She started. "I am extremely patient and annoyingly stubborn."

At that Sebastian got up and turned to her so fast that it made her jump back. He approached her and grabbed the bars with both his hands, knuckles white from clenching too hard. He looked at her with wet eyes, his face red with anger.

"Get out!" he said in a low voice.

Shelby could only stare back, confused as to what could be tormenting him like that.

"I said get out!" he yelled so loudly that it echoed throughout the entire dungeon.

Shelby jumped at his tone. She was scared that was for sure but she wasn't going to be a coward and obey him. She instead took a step forward and put her hands right on top of his own.

"No!" she calmly answered.

Sebastian looked at her soft hands pressed against his for a few seconds before taking his hands back as if he had been shocked.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" he asked with a tired voice.

"Why do you want me to?" replied Shelby.

Sebastian gave a forced laugh looking down at her.

"Listen doll, I am doing you a favor for bringing me food. Leave now when you still have the chance." He said with a smug attitude.

"Or what? You're going to force me to marry you? Been there, never happened!" she confidently said.

"What a shame." He said looking her up and down.

"I know what you're doing" she stated. "You're trying to scare me or repulse me so that I'll leave. But here are some news Sebastian…you don't scare me. You and I both know that you wouldn't hurt me. And you wouldn't have touched me either even if we did get married."

His face once again turned dark, his stare cold.

"I would have done whatever I wanted with you!" he forcefully said.

"I don't believe it." Replied Shelby standing his stare.

"You better believe it! You would have been miserable giving into every little one of my desires until getting pregnant giving birth to our child in atrocious pain and dying in labor letting the poor kid being raised by me into the cruelest of men!" he said raising voice with every words he said.

Shelby stepped back by his outburst. What in the world was he talking about? The 'poor kid' part echoed in her head.

"It is in my blood." Sebastian finished.

It was as if a light bulb clicked in Shelby's mind.

"That's what your dad did to your mother, isn't it?" she shockingly realized.

Sebastian's face dropped. He should have known she would figure this out. He always had known she was very smart. Why did he have to open his big mouth in a moment of anger? He always ended up letting things slip up. If his father was here right now, he would pay that mistake hard.

"This is ridiculous!" he mockingly said.

"On the contrary it's perfectly logical." She continued still in shock. "That's why you're pushing me away…you think you're just like him and you don't want me to get hurt."

"The world does not revolve around you Shelby!" he angrily replied.

"It doesn't revolve around your father either!" she pointed out.

"Enough!" he screaming grabbing her by the throat across the bars with his good hand.

Shelby shrieked not expecting that reaction. She then tried to calm down thinking that he was holding just tight enough to have a hold on her by not enough to hurt her. Taking a deep breath and looking in his troubled eyes she grabbed the bars calmly. When she believed in something she didn't back out. No matter how scared she was at the moment, she was ready to go down to prove her point.

"Go ahead…kill me!" she murmured with a strangled voice.

That only made Sebastian madder. Why couldn't she get through her thick head that he was a dangerous man?

Looking in her eyes, he started to tighten his grip. Shelby started choking as less air could enter her lungs. Her eyes were watering with her struggle. Sebastian finally saw panic in her eyes but what struck him the most was the sadness that entered those beautiful blue orbs. And suddenly he was the one panicking. He abruptly let go of her.

She fell to the ground the second he released her. She started coughing and searching for air as tears fell down her cheeks.

Sebastian stood there in shock as he watched her. Was he shocked with what he did to her or with the fact that he couldn't finish her? He wasn't sure but what he did know was that he had never felt worse in his entire life than how he felt right now. It was as if his heart was being crushed to the point where it physically hurt.

Shelby calmed down a bit but she kept her position on the floor, her whole being shaking. She knew she couldn't possibly stand on her legs at the moment, they felt like jelly. She slowly looked up at Sebastian and what she saw calmed her down. He seemed even more afraid than she was.

"Why didn't you kill me?" she bluntly asked.

Sebastian looked at her with his mouth agape trying to process what she had just asked him not believing how bold she was.

"Just leave Shelby…please." He softly whispered not being able to stand her stare.

Shelby nodded even though he wasn't looking and rose from her spot on the floor. She then walked to the bars separating them and kicked her ring further into his cell startling him. Only then did he look at her again.

"See you tonight." She said in a calm tone that clashed with the red marks on her neck. With that she headed for the stairs with poise.

Sebastian let himself drop to the floor. She didn't lie when she said she was extremely patient and annoyingly stubborn.

 **I am so sorry for the time I took before uploading but I still hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

 **TayCole: Thank you for understanding about the time it can take me before uploading. This chapter still had a bit of intensity though, right? Oops…I hope you liked learning new things about Sebastian's background.**

 **Lisa: Thank you for your patience and for always reading my chapters. I had you enjoyed the twist the story just took. I can't wait to get your feedback.**


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